JB: Let me introduce myself, Jenny Bardwell, as a HSTA curriculum coordinator, and a colleague, Pastor Angela Walker, who is HSTA staff working with Mountain HSTA.

Because of the HSTA philosophy and the students that are served through HSTA, it is important for us all to have an on-going dialogue about how to make our HSTA clubs, our classrooms, and our schools become a more inclusive environment of all peoples. We need to share the best approaches for student learning, recruiting new students, and how we can promote greater equity in our schools. In light of what is happening between our nation and the rest of the world, we especially need to be sensitive to how the current US culture and its' rules - written or hidden - can negatively impact persons of color.

AW: In order not to be offensive, it is important to evaluate our language and the terminology we use. We have chosen to use certain terms describing peoples of different cultures and ethnicity - European-American, African-American, Hispanic, Indigenous, and Arab. "Is this ok?" "Do these terms offend anyone?" "Should we use an alternative term?"

JB: Let me begin with: "What does it mean to be racist?"
After getting answers, I can say that from a strict definition, racist means dominance of one group over another. There will always be genetic differences between a group or ethnicities, but it does not diminish any one group's humanity, for those things that make us human are the things we have in common. Racism seeks to diminish a group's humanity by suggesting that the criteria for reaching one's full potential is held by the group in power. Through society and cultivation of different ethnic groups, racism has come to promote separateness. Economically racist attitudes support this differentiation between who should be the 'haves' and who should be the 'have-nots'.

Lead into asking, "Who controls the power structure in US society?" Given that white males control the power structure, then say that POC cannot be racist. They can be prejudice toward whites, or even towards themselves, but without power they cannot be racist.

AW: What does Hegemony mean and how does it relate to racism?
What is hegemony and what is its relationship to institutionalized racism? Who determines societal norms and values? Are there, perhaps, concepts that we take for granted as being truth when in actuality they are a version of the truth? (Use the crayon as an example)
Applications: flesh-colored crayons, speaking of America (and referring to U.S.) versus other places that could be called America as well? Do you think there are exclusive practices in our school systems that could be classified as institutionalized racism, and how can we remedy them?

JB: How can we benefit by an anti-racist perspective?
Not only do we need to acknowledge that racism exists in our schools and in our classrooms, we need to think about how we can dismantle racism in all aspects of our lives. This is what an anti-racist perspective means. How do we begin living this?

Teachers should have handout as they watch the video and meet in small groups. Teachers bring answers back to large group.

Video

30 minutes

Excerpts from 'The Way Home', produced and directed by Shakti Butler. Publisher is in Oakland, CA : World Trust, 1998

Small group
20 minutes

Have each group present their answers to each question.

Display on overhead.

Discussion